So if he was upfront about how . . . achy he was feeling, maybe Owen would know what to do about it?
Jane frowned at him as she came up to the counter with her donuts. “Something’s off about you, Carl.”
Jason just sort of grinned stupidly some more.
She struck a finger in the air. “I know what it is.”
Okay, that had him reining in half his sunshine. He cast a look over Jane’s shoulder to Cora at the magazine stand, flanked by two young red-haired girls bouncing on the balls of their feet. “Y-you do?”
Jane opened her mouth—
“Please, not here?”
She blinked at Jason’s harried request and glanced around at Cora. “I’d reckon your cousin would be pleased you’re not collecting so many fines?”
Jason ran a hand through his hair. Gosh. Now he’d gotten weird for nothing. “I mean . . . I have a reputation to uphold?”
Jane rang out a teasing laugh. “Jesus, Carl.” She studied him and her face pinched with seriousness. “Word of warning. He’s strong, but it doesn’t mean he can’t hurt.”
The shift in topic was swift and ruthless. It had him on edge, and that was probably the point. “Sorry?”
“Owen’s not just my work colleague, he’s my friend. If he so much as lets out a sad grimace, I’ll be on your balls.”
That sounded pleasant.
“Don’t worry,” Jason assured her, “We’re definitely on the same page.”
“It’s all happening so quickly,” she murmured. “Just like with Hayden.”
Except it wasn’t. Owen was just kindly helping him out of a tight spot. Pretending they’d suddenly and fiercely fallen in love.
Completely different.
“Hayden’s an arsehole.”
She turned to leave. “As long as he’s the only arsehole.”
Jason felt his anger rising. The next time he saw Hayden, God. He’d . . . he’d . . . something. He scowled into the middle distance and suddenly Owen was before him with a bottle of milk.
A rumbling laugh. “What’s that look for?”
“Owen!” He jerked. “I thought you had stuff to do at home?”
“I was out of milk, and . . . I missed the air of chaos. About that look—”
Jason reached across the counter, balled a hand in soft T-shirt, and hauled Owen into a kiss. Of course, Owen could easily have resisted the move, but he didn’t. He folded in and at Jason’s small gasp at the electric touch, took over with a warm hum. The flicker of tongue, the press of Jason’s top lip sandwiched between his.
Slowly, Jason pulled back.
Owen raised a brow.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Jason promised.
Cora chuckled, drawing his attention. She was crouching now, a magazine splayed open in her hands, two kids peering at it with her.
“Read mine, read mine,” one of them said. “I’m Sagittarius!”
Cora smiled softly. “I know. It’s one of my favourite signs.”
“It is?”
Cora glanced at him and away, and Jason stilled under the punch of emotion. He wanted the look back. The rawness of it. The pain. The love. “I know a Sagittarian. They turned out to be really wonderful. Very good at music.”
Wonderful. Good at music.
He sank onto his stool, trying to swallow the lump forming in his throat, blink back the sting in his eyes at the idea she’d kept tabs on him.
Was there a part of her that wished she knew Jason? Wished she could be something to him, even if she could never claim the role of parent? Or even cousin?
“I want to turn out wonderful,” the girl said, and Cora smiled at her.
“I’m sure you will.”
The other, older girl pushed the magazine closer. “Read it.”
Jason felt the prickle of Owen’s gaze and it was . . . too much. He was too exposed. He liked Owen understanding him, but curiosity was one thing. This . . . he didn’t even understand this himself. He was acting weird, quiet and sullen, and he, um, didn’t want Owen witnessing his erratic behaviour?
Being put off by it.
Jason had asked him to put up with enough as it was.
He pulled up a grin and hoped it didn’t wobble. He jerked a thumb toward the window. “There’s a car with no plates out there. You should check it out.”
Mary made her presence known with a yip, and Owen held his eyes two beats longer before he led Mary out to ‘investigate’ the obvious lie.
Too perceptive.
He’d make it up to him. Dinner—the one he’d wanted to impress their parents with—and then take him back to Carl’s and bang about on his instrument. An entire symphony all the way to the most exquisite climax.
“. . . and Sagittarius will get into quite a few mishaps!”
The girls giggled and Jason smiled fondly too.
“Anything good?”
“Yes,” Cora said. “No matter what mess you find yourself in, there will always be someone who has your back.”
“That’s me,” said the older sister.
“And me,” Cora murmured.
“Cora?” a shy, inquisitive tone.
“Mmm?”
“Are you and Daddy in love?”